It was a tough pill to swallow. Every Portland Trail Blazers fan took it, with all of its bitterness, and no water to help. We had to watch the slow dissolvement of the team we had all come to love over the years. There were some good times and certainly some bad times, but it only furthered our investment in what was a very special group of men. Naturally, when it became clear that this group would be no longer, the investment from fans was much more skeptical. When the ‘15-’16 roster was first announced, you could practically hear the collective eye roll throughout Rip City.
Al-Farouq Aminu? Ed Davis? Maurice Harkless? Gerald Henderson?
If you were to survey 10 people In Portland, it would be an ambitious goal to find someone who knew even one of those names. Today, the city of Portland knows every one of them, not to mention the other six that were also added this season.
Change is hard, and it took some time for fans to buy-in, but it’s safe to say that as much as Portland loved the team they had, they love the team they have. Before we got to watch them play, they were just random faces. But then we did watch them play, and now we can clearly see that they too have special talents and personalities: The calm and collected Aminu is known around town as “The Chief”, and has a versatile inside-out game. Ed Davis, or “Phys. Ed”, is beloved for his curiosity about the city via Instagram, and has quickly become known as this team’s enforcer. Gerald Henderson is a much-needed veteran on the team, and has strong sense of when to get aggressive and turn up the team’s tempo, but also when to defer and create. Maurice Harkless is an exciting breath of energy, helping the Blazers to stay quick, with a promising amount of potential. We could go on and on about this unique team, but the bigger point to be made is that this is no longer the team of nobodies that we were first introduced to.
To be honest, although it’s normal to consider what would have been, last season is a mere afterthought at this point. We do love this team, but for a much different reason than we loved the last. We simply admire these Blazers. We admire their tenacity, and their willingness to not back down. These Blazers are a team of fighters. Early on in their unexpected success this season, many believed that it was Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum who were carrying them. Perhaps they were right; but they certainly aren’t anymore. Somewhere along the way, this team realized that they couldn’t get to where they wanted to go by letting their two stars bail them out every night. Slowly but surely, the new guys began to find their own individual niche. As the season draws to a close, we can now say with complete certainty that many of the games won are due to elements brought by these new faces. Playoffs will be no different. Lillard and McCollum are undoubtedly the core, but we’re kidding ourselves if we think that’s how they’ll get past the first round. They’re going to need Davis’ attitude and rebounds, Henderson’s experience and fearlessness, Plumlee’s size and aggression, and Harkless’ energy. Countless other situations are going to come up that will require those specialized skill sets of individual players down the line, and you can bet their numbers will be called.
If nothing else, one thing is very clear: These are not random names to fill a roster. These are not random bodies to fill positions on a court. This is a strategically created team to create what we now know as your Portland Trail Blazers.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
